We Didn't Plan This – The Podcast for People Who Ditched Their Five-Year Plan

We Didn't Plan This – The Podcast for People Who Ditched Their Five-Year Plan

Studying Medicine in Singapore vs Studying Law in Cambridge: Unfiltered Chats

Aug 1, 2026 · 33 min · 11 segments

Faith and Isaac compare their wildly different university paths — NUS Medicine vs Cambridge Law — and unpack culture shock, missed local uni experiences, and whether they'd choose the same road again…

Faith and Isaac compare their wildly different university paths — NUS Medicine vs Cambridge Law — and unpack culture shock, missed local uni experiences, and whether they'd choose the same road again. We've always wondered what it would've been like to live each other's uni lives — so in this episode, we finally sat down and asked. Faith went through NUS Medicine, the well-trodden local path with all its budget backup plans and prelim disasters; Isaac took the scenic route through Cambridge Law before circling back to medicine at Duke-NUS. Turns out we both missed out on some very different things. We get into the culture shock of formal dinners and £6 supermarket wine, the very real FOMO of never once going night cycling with university buddies, and the moments — a Moroccan desert night, a freezing bike ride blasting Jay Chou — that somehow still live rent-free in our heads years later. We also talk about how differently "success" got defined for each of us, and whether all those what-ifs actually matter in the end. It's a pretty honest look at the roads we didn't take, the ones we did, and why — most days, anyway — we've made peace with where we landed. If you've ever wondered whether the other path would've been better, this one's for you. Keywords: NUS Medicine, Cambridge Law, Singapore university life, medical school Singapore, studying abroad Singapore, university culture shock, career regrets, Singapore meritocracy, doctor career path, law school experience

Faith and Isaac compare their wildly different university paths — NUS Medicine vs Cambridge Law — and unpack culture shock, missed local uni experiences, and whether they'd choose the same road again…

Speakers: IsaacHostFaithHost

Faith’s Road to NUS Medicine0:59 – 3:25

IsaacHost

0:59

But to kick off, I guess, one thing that I always wonder with all my medical colleagues, and they all have different answers to this, which is, was NUS Medicine always the plan? Was it the only option on the table for you? Or what was the others?

FaithHost

1:19

Okay, so truth be told, NUS Medicine was my first choice because obviously, you know, studying locally in Singapore is the cheapest option for my parents.

FaithHost

1:27

Even though I actually always had a desire to go overseas, you know, to get the overseas experience that everyone seems to talk about.

FaithHost

1:32

And then they come back really cool and like change people.

FaithHost

1:35

Whereas those of us who stay in Singapore kind of, you know, we just stay the same.

FaithHost

1:38

We stay with our parents the whole way.

FaithHost

1:40

So actually, I wanted to apply to the UK for medicine, but it was contingent on me having a good predicted grade for chemistry at A-levels, but I totally flunked my prelims.

FaithHost

1:52

I think I got like, I did terribly.

FaithHost

1:54

So I got a projected B, which did not let me apply to the UK directly.

FaithHost

1:59

So I had to use my backup option, which was the International Medical University in Malaysia, which offers like a transitional program.

FaithHost

2:06

You do like two years in KL and then you transfer to an accredited UK university overseas or like Australia and you come back with a degree from that uni yeah so that actually is the route that some of our batchmates actually went through and

IsaacHost

2:20

I heard you can't go to IMU anymore right is it still on the MOH

FaithHost

2:25

I don't know because technically you don't graduate from IMU you graduate from the university like if you when you transfer out for your clinical years

IsaacHost

2:33

Ah, yeah, but plot twist, you know, she got into it.

IsaacHost

2:36

She's one of the good ones.

IsaacHost

2:38

Thankfully,

FaithHost

2:38

I saved my parents' money.

IsaacHost

2:41

Yeah, no, that's interesting because, you know, I've heard of people going all across the globe to places like Ireland, Australia, UK.

IsaacHost

2:51

When I was a med student, you know, I was in the operating theatre with this other med student who looked a fair bit older.

IsaacHost

2:57

So I asked him, what brings you here, right? And it turns out that he was early 31 and he came from, he was doing an elective abroad from his post-grad degree in New Zealand.

IsaacHost

3:10

And he went to study undergrad in the UK.

IsaacHost

3:14

And then before that, he went to poly, he worked for two years.

FaithHost

3:18

Wow.

IsaacHost

3:18

So

FaithHost

3:19

it's quite a journey to

Faith’s Road to NUS Medicine0:59 – 3:25

IsaacHost

0:59

But to kick off, I guess, one thing that I always wonder with all my medical colleagues, and they all have different answers to this, which is, was NUS Medicine always the plan? Was it the only option on the table for you? Or what was the others?

FaithHost

1:19

Okay, so truth be told, NUS Medicine was my first choice because obviously, you know, studying locally in Singapore is the cheapest option for my parents.

FaithHost

1:27

Even though I actually always had a desire to go overseas, you know, to get the overseas experience that everyone seems to talk about.

FaithHost

1:32

And then they come back really cool and like change people.

FaithHost

1:35

Whereas those of us who stay in Singapore kind of, you know, we just stay the same.

FaithHost

1:38

We stay with our parents the whole way.

FaithHost

1:40

So actually, I wanted to apply to the UK for medicine, but it was contingent on me having a good predicted grade for chemistry at A-levels, but I totally flunked my prelims.

FaithHost

1:52

I think I got like, I did terribly.

FaithHost

1:54

So I got a projected B, which did not let me apply to the UK directly.

FaithHost

1:59

So I had to use my backup option, which was the International Medical University in Malaysia, which offers like a transitional program.

FaithHost

2:06

You do like two years in KL and then you transfer to an accredited UK university overseas or like Australia and you come back with a degree from that uni yeah so that actually is the route that some of our batchmates actually went through and

IsaacHost

2:20

I heard you can't go to IMU anymore right is it still on the MOH

FaithHost

2:25

I don't know because technically you don't graduate from IMU you graduate from the university like if you when you transfer out for your clinical years

IsaacHost

2:33

Ah, yeah, but plot twist, you know, she got into it.

IsaacHost

2:36

She's one of the good ones.

IsaacHost

2:38

Thankfully,

FaithHost

2:38

I saved my parents' money.

IsaacHost

2:41

Yeah, no, that's interesting because, you know, I've heard of people going all across the globe to places like Ireland, Australia, UK.

IsaacHost

2:51

When I was a med student, you know, I was in the operating theatre with this other med student who looked a fair bit older.

IsaacHost

2:57

So I asked him, what brings you here, right? And it turns out that he was early 31 and he came from, he was doing an elective abroad from his post-grad degree in New Zealand.

IsaacHost

3:10

And he went to study undergrad in the UK.

IsaacHost

3:14

And then before that, he went to poly, he worked for two years.

FaithHost

3:18

Wow.

IsaacHost

3:18

So

FaithHost

3:19

it's quite a journey to